The Lightning appear to have that look.
It’s somewhat hard to describe at times. A true definition is often hard to find.
But Tampa Bay has that look and some are starting to describe this Lightning team in similar fashion to how they saw the Chicago Blackhawks for the past half-decade – you just can’t kill ‘em.
And this Lightning team, you just can’t kill ‘em.
Just look at Tyler Johnson.
During warm-ups prior to Game 4, Johnson was struck in the face with a puck shot by Jonathan Drouin that caromed off the crossbar. After some quick medical work, he arrived to the Lightning bench wearing a full cage. He had some vision issues and midway through the first period, switched to a full plastic shield.
Never did Johnson look phased. All night, he was right in the middle of the action and it was his goal late in the second period that proved to be the game-winner. Johnson was standing right at the crease and had Nikita Kucherov’s pass across the ice deflect off his shin and wind up in the back of the net.
In Game 5, one day after reportedly undergoing a double root canal, Johnson took to the ice without a full shield, reverting back to his regular visor. Sporting a swollen lip and some stitches around his lip, Johnson found himself right back in front of the net and once again wound up scoring the game-winning goal, this time having Jason Garrison’s shot hit him on the backside and going in the net, 53 seconds into overtime to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 series lead, one victory shy of returning to the Stanley Cup Final.
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 22: Tyler Johnson #9 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates his overtime goal with teammates against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on May 22, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tampa Bay won the game 4-3. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)
Johnson is just like the team he plays for, just can’t keep them down.
“He’s a winner. That’s what winners do,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “They don’t back down. And when there’s a challenge ahead of you, you’ve got to find a way to meet that challenge. … To see how this kid plays and how he competes, and it’s not always the size of the player, it’s the size of the heart, and that’s Tyler Johnson.’’
That perfectly matches the attitude displayed by this team right now, as well.
Down 2-0 on the road in a Game 5 – giving up a goal in the final second of the first period and then in the opening two minutes of the second period – Tampa Bay came back to tie the game. Give up the go-ahead goal in the final minute of the second period, just keep pushing. Faced with some questionable non-calls from the officials, just keep pressing. Have a shot from Ryan Callahan hit the post and sound like it entered the net and quickly come out, only to see on replay it hit the far post and narrowly miss hitting the skate of Marc-Andre Fleury as it rolled by, keep taking shots.
Tampa Bay, as it has so many times, never wavered and kept on plugging. Nikita Kucherov would tie the game with 3:16 left in regulation – his second goal of the game – to set up the overtime.
Can’t kill ‘em.
“It’s hard to explain, but it didn’t matter that (Callahan’s shot) didn’t go in,’’ Cooper said. “That group knew, the way we were playing and the way we were pushing, we were getting chances. Just every one of those was just another — it was like we were climbing a mountain, and we were just taking every step, every step, and fortunately for us, we got to the top.’’
During the Chicago Blackhawks modern-day dynasty type success since 2010, many referred to the resiliency of those teams that no matter what other teams tried to do, they just refused to be knocked down. Last season the Blackhawks were down 3-2 in the Western Conference finals to Anaheim and came back to win. In the Stanley Cup finals, Tampa Bay held a 2-1 lead after three games only to see Chicago come back to win the next three.
Though Tampa Bay has not faced those type of situations this postseason – though Pittsburgh held a 2-1 lead through three games of this series – the Lightning have seen their fair share if situations few thought they would be able to overcome.
No Steven Stamkos since the end of March. No Anton Stralman for the first six weeks of the playoffs. Ben Bishop being taken off the ice on a stretcher in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“I get to watch them 100-plus times a year. So it’s a lot of fun to be their coach. I’m not saying they don’t
give you ulcers, but — there’s a quiet calm about that group,’’ Cooper said.
They just don’t get rattled.
This team will take any shot that comes their way – even when it’s self-inflicted – get right back on their skates and keep coming back for more.
“Just got to keep playing,’’ Johnson said.
Can’t kill ‘em.
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